Prelude To The Forgotten Friend
by TimeLordMaster108
Summary: Two-Shot and prequel to The Forgotten Friend. After Ducky tells her friends about what happened to Judy they tell their parents, and soon enough Mr Threehorn starts forming a plan.
1. Chapter 1

**(AN) Hay there, this is TimeLordMaster108 here with a new Land Before Time story and a spin off to The Fo4gotten Friend.**

 **This story will be a two-shot and serves as a prequel to that story and explains how The Day Of Remembrance came about. It will also expand on the ending scenes to DiddyKF1's story, A Swimmer's Sad Story, since I feel it would be interesting to see how everyone would react to Ducky's tragic story, and how they came together to make sure that sort of thing would never happen again, and also the origins of the Day Of Remembrance.**

 **Also credit goes to DiddyKF1 for helping me with the dialogue.**

 **Anyway I hope you all enjoy and remember to Read And Review.**

 **Disclaimer I don't own The Land Before Time, all characters and locations belong to Universal Pictures and Sullivan Bluth Studios.**

* * *

 **The Land Before Time**

 **Prelude To The Forgotten Friend**

* * *

Ducky was sitting on a rock at Thundering Falls, looking up at her friends. The young Swimmer had just told them all about her old friend Judy and what had happened to her and her Mom, Cera had run off in a paranoid state after Ducky had yelled at her.

"Uh... do you want to come and play 'Stop The Seed' with us Ducky?" Asked Chomper

"I think I will stay here for a little while longer, thanks for the offer, though." Answered Ducky.

"Okay Ducky, we'll be over by the watering hole if you want to join us later," Informed Littlefoot, "See you Later!"

"See you later, everyone." Sighed Ducky.

"Bye Ducky." Called Petrie.

Spike gave Ducky a playful nuzzle, earning a small giggle from the young Swimmer, And before long, the others left Ducky alone to once again contemplate her thoughts in peace.

* * *

As Littlefoot and the others ran further from the Thundering Falls, they suddenly stopped and Littlefoot turned to face them.

"I can't believe all that happened to Ducky," remarked Ruby, "It's quite hard to believe."

"Me neither," replied Littlefoot in a saddened tone, "But I think now we need to make sure that everyone else knows too."

"Ohhh me no so sure, what if Ducky get all mad again?" Questioned Petrie nervously.

"She won't get mad," reassured the Longneck, "In fact I think she'll really like it if everyone knew, that way she'll have people who can help her feel better about the whole situation, and I think first we should tell our parents, I'll go tell my Grandparents and Petrie, you can go and tell your Mom."

The young Flyer nodded in agreement.

"Me and Ruby can go with Spike and tell his and Ducky's parents," Suggested Chomper While Spike nodded and babbled.

"That's a great idea Chomper," declared Ruby, "So what are we waiting for?, let's go."

The group then ran off in different directions, or flew high into the sky in Petrie's case.

* * *

Over in the woodland area Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were having an early lunch. The couple suddenly stopped eating and looked down as their Grandson approached them.

"Hello Littlefoot," greeted Grandpa Longneck warmly before noticing how unhappy the kid looked, "Are you feeling alright?, did something bad happen this morning?"

"Well my friends and I went looking for Ducky at the Thundering Falls, ... but... she seemed very upset." Sighed Littlefoot.

"I wonder what could be wrong with Ducky?" Pondered Grandma Longneck, "She's usually such a cheerful little one."

"That's exactly what we asked her," replied Littlefoot, "She then... told us... this story... of how... she once had a friend before the Earthshake happened."

"I can only guess what might have happened," said Grandpa Longneck, "Was this Friend Lost during the Great Earthshake?"

"I'm afraid not," answered Littlefoot, "She was Lost before the Earthshake."

His Grandparents gasped in shock, unable to think of what could have happened BEFORE that infamous Earthshake that had killed huge portions of their herds.

"Well it goes like this," Littlefoot began, "Some time before the Earthshake, Ducky befriended another Swimmer named Judy, who looked just like her, except she had green eyes. Back then nobody wanted to play with Ducky because the other Swimmer children were annoyed by her Yep!, Yep!, Yep!, And for some strange reason nobody wanted to play with Judy, either... until they met each other and became friends. Judy had a wonderful mother named Nitha, but her father, named Rolf, was such a dangerous Swimmer. Ducky told me, she said that he would beat up and torture his Mate and daughter on a regular basis."

"Oh, my!" Gasped Grandma Longneck.

"Of all the nerve." Added a horrofied Grandpa Longneck.

"One day, Judy came to the old nest where Ducky and her family used to live and she begged them to help her. They would've done so, but then Rolf came bursting in and attacked Ducky by throwing her into a rock. He was against Nitha and Judy ever leaving their nest for any reason, and every day Ducky and Judy didn't see each other, Judy would always have these scars and bruises the next time they met."

"That is just cruel" Hissed Grandma Longneck, "That Rolf sounds like someone who dosn't deserve to live!"

"Then one day, something so terrible happened, that I almost can't speak of it," sighed Littlefoot as he dreaded to share the next detail, the worst one of all, "One morning Ducky was awoken by her mother, who told her that something terrible had happened over at Judy's nest, and Ducky ran all the way to Judy's nest, when she got there... she found them... all dead."

"What?" Gasped his Grandparents in disbelief.

"It turned out that Rolf had killed Judy and Nitha in their sleep, then he killed himself with a tree branch, and Ducky's Mother was the one who found the bodies the next morning and told Ducky that something bad had happened, and Ducky ended up seeing the dead bodies for herself," said Littlefoot, trying not to tear up as he felt so bad for his Swimmer friend having to deal with such a horrible pain, much like his own, "She must have felt just like I did when I watched my mother die right before my eyes."

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck remained speechless. This was too horrifying to be true. Ducky loosing a best friend in such a gruesome way before the Earthshake happened? They knew it must have been so hard for Ducky to get through it much like how Littlefoot tried to cope with the loss of his mother before he found new friends. They now felt sorry for the poor little Swimmer.

"She says that it happened five days before the Earthshake and then her entire herd was killed except for her family," sniffed Littlefoot, "It seems that when she found me all alone, grieving for my mother, she may have been secretly grieving for her lost friend, because our presence apparently took Judy out of her mind for so long, ... until last night when she had a terrible sleep story."

"I could swear I heard a child screaming last night." Said Grandma Longneck.

"I guess we now know who it was, and what caused it," Sighed Grandpa Longneck, "Poor Ducky must have had a terrible sleep story where she revisited her worst memory."

"I wish I knew what to do for her?" Said Littlefoot sadly.

"Littlefoot, you and your friends have already done the best that you could do," assured his Grandfather, "Staying by her side through all the good times and the bad have helped her remember that she still has those who care for her, and we'll make sure we keep her happy while she enjoys her life here in this wonderful Great Valley."

"Except Cera perhaps," said Littlefoot doubtfully, "She became so paranoid and thought her own father could one day become just like Rolf, Ducky screamed at her in retaliation."

"Cera being Cera again," sighed Grandma Longneck, "She'll come round eventually, we all know Mr Threehorn loves his family dearly, and nothing will ever happen to them as long as he's there to protect them with the great strength that he has."

"Littlefoot... thank you for telling us this story," said Grandpa Longneck warmly, "We promise we'll do everything we can to help Ducky come to terms with this loss. It seems that Judy meant so much to her, since this tragedy happened two Cold Times ago and she has apparently never gotten over it."

"Perhaps she secretly kept this to herself before that sleep story last night renewed those old wounds and brought her back into this depressing state." Suggested Grandma Longneck.

"She admitted to us that she kept it a secret from us... until that sleep story last night." Said Littlefoot.

"The next time we see Ducky, we will give Judy the propper send-off that she has deserved for so long," smiled Grandpa Longneck, "Are your other friends doing the same?"

"Yeah, I told them to go tell their parents," answered Littlefoot, "Although I don't think Cera will tell her family."

"Then we will tell them the story," replied Grandpa Longneck, "The more this story spreads, the more residents in the Valley will be able to understand what Ducky is going through."

"I quite agree," added his Mate, "Now why don't you run along and play Littlefoot."

"Okay, I'll see you later." Said the young Longneck before running off.

* * *

Meanwhile over at the watering hole, Sura and Ruphus were lying flat on their backs and enjoying the peace and quiet. Ruphus then turned to his Mate with a look of concern.

"Do you think Ducky will be alright after last night?" Asked Ruphus, "She was pretty tired this morning, did she tell you about her sleep story while you were cleaning her last night?

"Yes," answered Sura, "She said that she found herself back in the forrest where we all lived. Then she found Judy and tried saving her, but Rolf chased them and wouldn't stop, even when Nitha showed up. Rolf then pinned Nitha down and sliced her chest with a stick, he then stabbed Judy with a stick, then he... cut off Ducky's arms and legs. I think that must be the scariest one she's had about Judy, she also told me that she's not told anybody about her, not even Spike."

Ruphus felt a cold shiver run down his spine. That sounded truly horrific, most of the previo Scary Sleep Stories Ducky had suffered had never been this horrific. Suddenly Ruphus realised what his Mate had just said and gasped with realisation hitting him like a ton of boulders.

"What!" Exclaimed her Mate in shock, "That's terrible, burying the pain only makes it worse."

The couple suddenly sat upright as they heard approaching footsteps. After a few moments Spike ate his way through a bush followed by Chomper and Ruby. Sura instantly noticed that their faces were a mixture of shock and sadness.

"Spike!, this is certainly unexpected," cried Sura in shock, "What brings you three here?, and why do you look so sad?"

"We went looking for Ducky and found her at Thundering Falls," began Ruby in a sad voice, "She was very upset and... she told me, Chomper, Spike, Cera, Littlefoot And Petrie about Judy."

Sura and Ruphus stood up with their jaws hanging open in shock. The female Swimmer then smiled proudly.

"Oh that's wonderful!" Exclaimed Sura in delight, "I told Ducky last night that she needed to tell you all, since I knew you'd understand and try to help."

"I'm still in shock that Ducky had to go through that," stated Chomper, "You must've been pretty close with Judy too."

"Me and her Mom got on very well," explained Sura, "I was the one who sadly found the bodies first. I'd woken up one morning to Patrol about a bit, then I smelled blood, so I followed it... and found... their dead bodies."

Sura bowed her head, which was followed by Ruphus gently patting her on the shoulder.

"Littlefoot decided to get Petrie to tell his Mom, and he went to tell his Grandparents," Said Chomper, "Cera won't tell her family though."

"Why not?" Asked Ruphus in confusion.

"Because she's convinced herself that her dad will become just like Rolf," explained Ruby, "She and Ducky got into an argument because Ducky had accused us of not understanding. Then when Cera thought her Dad would become like Rolf, Ducky yelled at her."

"Oh no!, Mr Threehorn wouldn't do a thing like that," answered Ducky's Mom, "She'll come round eventually. And i'll make sure me and Ruphus speak with Ducky about this yelling"

"I certainly hope so, I hope that Cera comes round," said Ruby, "Because she's Ducky's Friend, and wouldn't want to ruin her friendship with Ducky."

"Well now that Ducky's told you, we can help spread the story with Arial and Littlefoot's Grandparents." explained Sura.

* * *

Arial was sitting on the ledge in front of her home. Her children had all wondered off to find some lunch, giving her the perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy the time she had to herself.

However this peacefulness was not to last...

"Mommy!" Came a voice from afar.

Arial looked in the direction she thought the voice was coming from, she then spotted Petrie frantically flying towards her, looking as if he was fleeing from danger.

"Petrie!" She gasped, "What are you doing here!?, I thought you were playing with your friends!"

The young Flyer panted as he landed on the ledge. Arial instinctively scooped him up and hugged him while stroking his head.

"Now!, now!, Petrie just calm down," Said Arial in a comforting tone, "Take some deep breaths."

Petrie suddenly stopped panting and began taking long calming breaths, Arial then placed him on the ground and Petrie felt more calm.

"Now why don't you tell me what's troubling you," Suggested Arial, "You looked as if a Sharptooth were chasing you."

Petrie remembering what Littlefoot told him, looked up at his mother and gulped.

"Okay, here goes," began Petrie nervously, "Ducky no show up for game of Stop The Seed, so we go look for her and find her at Thundering Falls, Ducky really upset."

"Oh my!" Exclaimed Arial in shock, "I wonder what was wrong?, Ducky's normally very happy."

"Ducky say she have scary sleep story last night," continued Petrie, "She then tell us story about Friend she once have, before big Earthshake!"

"What!" Exclaimed Arial in shock, "I never realised Ducky had a friend before that Earthshake, she's never mentioned this before."

"Her Friend name Judy who look just like Ducky, except she have green eyes," explained Petrie, Judy only one who play with Ducky back then because no other kids like Ducky, they found her Yep!, Yep!, Yep!, annoying, Judy also have wonderful Mommy named Nitha."

"That sounds wonderful, stated the older Flyer, "So... I'll guess they were lost in the Great Earthshake."

Petrie gulped and shook his head causing his mother to gasp in shock, she couldn't begin to imagine what could've happened to them before the Earthshake, but she was beginning to feel it was something far worse than a Sharptooth attack or sickness, judging from Petrie's reaction.

"So what did happen to them?" Asked Arial.

Petrie once again gulped before continuing.

"Judy's Daddy Rolf so mean to Judy and her Mommy," began Petrie, he big bully who attack them, because he think they going to leave him, Ducky say he get so mad if they leave nest for some reason. Every time Ducky no see Judy, the next time they meet, she covered with bruises and scratches."

"What a monster," cried Arial in horror, he clearly dosn't deserve to be a father."

"It get worse," whimpered Petrie, "One day Judy come to Ducky and her Mommy and Daddy's old nest and beg for help, Ducky and her Mommy and Daddy agree to help, but then Judy's Daddy come bursting in and he throw Ducky into rock. He then tell Judy and her Mommy never to leave nest or else he... kill them."

Arial was almost Lost for words, she couldn't imagine a more horrible situation. Ducky didn't deserve to go through all that. And she didn't think she'd ever heard of anyone so cruel as this Rolf

"Then... Ducky and Judy see less and less of each other," said Petrie as he trembled and tears formed in his eyes, he was now dreading the next and most horrible part of the story, "Then... one day Ducky Mommy wake Ducky up and tell here there'd been nasty accident at Judy's nest. Ducky rush over there as fast as she could, but when she get there, she find... she find."

Petrie then blinked back a few tears before once again gulping.

"Judy and Nitha... both dead, Rolf dead too," said Petrie, "Ducky later find out that... Rolf kill Judy and her Mommy with tree branch, then Rolf kill himself."

"No way!" panted Arial in horror.

"Yes!" nodded Petrie in confirmation, it happen just five days before Earthshake... then Ducky sad about Judy for two Cold Times. But she hid it from us all this time because she no wanna reopen old wounds, but last night sleep story scare her so bad that she decide to tell us."

"I thought I heard someone screaming last night," recalled Arial, "And I could swear it was a child."

"It Ducky," confirmed Petrie, "She so scared by sleep story, she see Rolf kill Judy and Judy Mommy all over again."

"Oh the poor dear," lamented Petrie's Mom sadly, "That whole experience must've been so hard on her, and having to relieve it last night is something no-one deserves. The next time I see Ducky, I'll be sure to give her my full condolences."

"Ohhh that sound wonderful," remarked Petrie in joy, "Littlefoot say Ducky be so happy if we tell you and other parents, so everyone in Great Valley know."

"Littlefoot's right, and I'm so proud of you for telling me this story Petrie," thanked Arial, "Me and Littlefoot's Grandparents And The others will make sure that everyone in the Valley knows and can help Ducky."

"Hopefully Cera tell her Daddy and Tria," wondered the young Flyer, "She get all scared-ed that her Daddy become like Rolf and kill her, Tria and Tricia. Ducky get all scary and mad at her."

"Don't worry Petrie, I'm sure she'll come round eventually," assured Arial, "Now why don't you fly along and go play some more. And thank you for this talk Petrie, I love you!"

"Me love you too Mamma." Replied Petrie as he and his mother hugged.

After a few minutes Arial let go and Petrie flew off. The older Flyer continued to watch until her son was out of sight.

* * *

Cera meanwhile was aimlessly wandering through the grasslands, her mind still plagued by the events earlier that morning. Even though Ducky had sternly told her that her dad wouldn't become like Rolf, Cera was still scared of the possibility. The young Threehorn was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't look where she was going and bumped straight into a large dull grey Threehorn.

"Cera, watch where you're going!" Grumbled a gruff but familiar voice.

Cera slowly looked up and saw Topsy looking at her in slight annoyance. This sight caused her to start trembling in fear and backing away.

"Cera are you feeling alright?" asked her dad in concern, "You're shaking, and you look terrified."

Tria then came to stand next to her Mate and gave Cera the same concerned expression. Tricia looked at her older stepsister in confusion.

But before any more could be said, Cera let out an ear piercing terrified scream which stunned both Topsy and Tria and Tricia leapt up in fright and ran behind Topsy's leg. Cera then ran as fast as she could, as though a Sharptooth were chasing her.

"Cera!, wait, come back." Tria called out in a mixture of concern and confusion.

However it was no use and the two adult Threehorn were left standing there in stunned silence.

"What in the world was that all about?" Asked Topsy in confusion, "She looked petrified."

"I'm not sure dear," answered Tria before turning and seeing something, "Hay look it's Grandpa and Grandma Longneck. I wonder what they want?"

Topsy turned to face the direction his Mate was facing in and saw the two elderly Longnecks approach them.

"Ahh!, Mr Threehorn, there you are. We've been looking for you." Stated Grandpa Longneck kindly.

"Can it wait?" Asked Mr Threehorn still sounding bewildered, "We're kind of trying to deal with Cera, she just bumped into me screamed in horror and ran."

"It actually has something to do with that," explained Grandma Longneck, "We were speaking with Littlefoot earlier, and happen to know why Cera's terrified... of you Mr Threehorn as it happens."

This statement left both Threehorns confused, they could think of no reason as to why Cera would suddenly become frightened of her own dad since he'd never done anything to make her feel this way.

"But why would Cera be frightened of Topsy?" Questioned Tria in confusion, "She's always felt safe around him, and he would never do anything to hurt her."

"Well you see Cera and her friends found Ducky at Thundering Falls this morning, and she was quite upset," began Grandpa Longneck, "It turned out she had a horrible sleep story the night before about something truly awful that once happened."

"So that's who screamed last night and almost woke the entire Valley," cried Topsy in annoyance, "But what does this have to do with Cera?"

"We're getting to that!" Said Grandma Longneck, "It turns out that Ducky had a friend before the Great Earthshake. Her name was Judy and she was poor Ducky's only friend because other children found her Yep!, Yep!, Yep! annoying. The two were so close but... unfortunately Judy died before the Great Earthshake."

"What!" Exclaimed Topsy in shock, "What happened to them?, ... it must've been something very bad to cause that kind of reaction from Ducky, and to make her unhappy since she's usually happy."

"It was," answered Grandpa Longneck in a grim and sad voice, "Judy's father Rolf was a very bad tempered Swimmer who was feared amongst the other Swimmers. Every day he would beat up and torture Judy and her Mom Nitha, And any time Ducky didn't see Judy, the next time they met she was always covered in cuts and bruises. One day Judy came to Ducky's nest and begged her and her family for help, Rolf then came and attacked Judy and threw Ducky into a rock."

"That's terrible!" Exclaimed Topsy in shock and disgust.

"What a horrible monster!" Remarked Tria in shock.

"After the incident Ducky and Judy saw less and less of each other because Rolf threatened to murder Judy and her Mom if they ever left the nest for any reason," said Grandma Longneck in sadness, she knew the next part would be tough to tell but she gulped before continuing, "Then one night, six days before the Great Earthsake Rolf did the unthinkable... he murdered Judy and Nitha in their sleep before killing himself... the next morning Sura found the bodies and Ducky saw them too."

"What!" Exclaimed Topsy in horror, "That's just terrible, that stinking, selfish Tar Pit. How could anybody do that to their own daughter?"

"Poor Ducky," lamented Tria, "And obviously she's never gotten over this trauma judging from how loudly she screamed."

"She never has fully recovered," stated Grandpa Longneck, "In fact she kept it a secret from all of her friends, even Spike until this morning. When she met Littlefoot she put the incident to the back of her mind and hid it, until that sleep story last night. And now Cera's gotten it into her head that you Mr Threehorn might turn nasty just like Rolf, and kill Tria and Tricia."

Topsy looked horrofied, now Cera's strange behaviour made perfect sense. But he couldn't believe that she would believe that worst of all, not tell anyone and become scared of Ducky.

"Thank you for telling us Longneck," grunted Topsy, "I'll help spread this story to other residents, and me and Tria will have a talk with Cera. In fact tomorrow night we'll hold a special meeting for everyone in the Valley."

"That's an excellent idea Mr Threehorn," agreed Grandma Longneck, "It's settled then."

The group then parted ways, Topsy, Tria and Tricia went to go find Cera.

* * *

 **(AN) That's the first chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed and remember to Read And Review.**

 **The next chapter will set up the idea for the Day Of Remembrance.**

 **Once Again thanks to DiddyKF1 for helping me with some dialogue.**


	2. Chapter 2

**(AN) Well here we are with the second chapter in this two-shot. I hope you all enjoy, and remember to Read And Review.**

 **This Chapter will show everyone coming to support Ducky in her grief. And will end with the origins for the Day Of Remembrance.**

 **Disclaimer I don't own The Land Before Time. All characters and locations belong to Universal Pictures and Sullivan Bluth Studios.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

Topsy and Tria were walking in the woodland area, trying to find where Cera had went. So far they had had no luck and were walking deeper into the woods, the trees were now casting dark shadows over the ground, and Tricia who was tagging along behind her parents started to feel a growing sense of unease.

"Cera!" Called Topsy In concern, "Cera, where are you?"

The male Threehorn turned to face his Mate with a mixture of worry and fear.

"This is not good!" Remarked the Threehorn, "What If she's wandered out into The Mysterious Beyond, anything could happen to her then."

Topsy bowed his head and tried not to fall into despair. Tria came up next to her Mate and gently nuzzled him.

"Don't worry Topsy, we'll find her." Assured Tria.

Something caught Tricia's attention, and she started babbling in delight. Both adult Threehorns turned to face where Tricia was facing.

It was a bush, and poking out of the bottom right corner was a small orange tail.

"Cera!" Cried Tria in relief, "Come on out Cera, we can see your tail."

The Bush suddenly began shaking, and out from it emerged Cera. The Threehorn looked up nervously and began whimpering at the sight of her dad.

"Oh, h-hi Dad." Whimpered Cera in a nervous voice.

"Cera, we were talking with Littlefoot's Grandparents, And they told us about what happened at Thundering Falls." Explained Topsy.

"Oh they did," answered Cera, "I guess they told you about what I said?"

"Yes they did," replied Mr Threehorn, "Cera, I know I may be a bit bossy and maybe loose my cool sometimes, but that dosn't mean that I'll ever become like this Rolf person!"

"It dosn't?" Asked Cera as she looked into her dad's eyes.

"Of course not!" Said Topsy, "Cera you're my daughter, you're all I have left of... her and your siblings. And no matter what I'll always love you, and Tria, and Tricia too."

Topsy and Tria walked up to Cera and gently nuzzled her, Cera feeling calmer closed her eyes and smiled. She then felt Tricia snuggling up to her and Cera gently nuzzled her stepsister.

After a few minutes the family of Threehorns stopped and Topsy began speaking in a more stern manner.

"But I'm also very disappointed in you young lady!" Stated Topsy sternly.

"Why's That Daddy?" Asked Cera curiously.

"Cera, Ducky's your friend and you've really let her down!" Continued the Threehorn, "Ducky was forced to relive one of her worst memories, and was hoping that you would understand her pain when she told you about what happened to Judy. But instead you freaked out and thought that I would become like Rolf!"

"But dad, she said we didn't understand," retorted Cera, "How can she say that when she knows.. Littlefoot lost his Mother and I lost my Mom and siblings."

"She was distressed and grieving Cera," answered Tria in a soft but stern tone, "grieving can make us say things we don't mean. Ducky knows how hard it was for you, Littlefoot and Petrie, and I'll ask you this. Did Littlefoot and the others accuse Ducky of not understanding?"

"No!" Answered Cera in a low voice, a small pool of guilt was now beginning to form in her stomach, "In fact Littlefoot tried to stop me, but I didn't listen."

"I hate to admit it, but for once the Longneck's right," said Topsy, "When a friend is grieving over the loss of someone close to them, then they need support and comfort from their friends and family, and someone who can understand and help them through this. And right now Ducky needs all of her friends to be there for her, and that includes you Cera."

"Cera, the next time you see Ducky we want you to apologise for your behaviour, do you understand?" Ordered Tria, still sounding stern, "Promise me Cera!"

Cera bowed her head slightly, and knew that her Dad and Tria were right, she had overreacted at Ducky and knew that she'd been hurt by that. Ducky had needed all of her friends, and she'd let her down. But still she decided to be weary, just in case she made Ducky blow her cool again.

"I promise Daddy." Answered Cera as she snuggled up against the older Threehorn's leg.

"I'm very glad to here that!" Replied Topsy, who returned the hug with a gentle nuzzle.

* * *

A short while later, Ducky was walking towards her family's nest. She was feeling slightly better than earlier, but now she felt some guilt at how she'd yelled at Cera. As Ducky entered the Nesting Area, she saw her parents, Spike and her other siblings eating lunch. The Young Swimmer barely had time to call out, when quite suddenly she was bowled over on to the grass and being licked by a very happy Spike.

"Oh Spike!, I am glad to see you two, I am, I am!" Giggled Ducky as Spike continued to lick her, and she tried gently pushing him off.

The baby Spiketail calmed himself and stepped back to allow Ducky to get up. Sura then approached the Big Mouth and scooped he up into a hug.

"Ducky!, there you are!" Exclaimed Sura in a proud voice, "I heard about what happened at Thundering Falls, and I'm so proud of you."

"Oh, thank you Mamma," Said Ducky, "I did-ed what you told-ed me to do, I did-ed I did-ed. And it felt good to tell them."

"I'm so glad to here it," replied Sura as she placed her daughter on the ground, "Now your friends will be able to help you, and be there when you need them. Although, I'm quite disappointed that Cera freaked out and might be avoiding you."

"I feel guilty for yelling at her," lamented Ducky, "I do!, I really do!"

"You have nothing to be guilty about," stated Ruphus, "You were distressed, and while it was wrong of you to raise your voice to Cera, and it was also wrong of you to accuse your friends of not understanding, she shouldn't have said those things. I'm sure she'll come round eventually."

"I hope you are right, I really do. Yep!, yep!, yep!" Commented the Big Mouth.

"Is anybody going to tell us what this is all about," piped up Echo, "What was wrong with Ducky last night?"

Ducky's other siblings looked at their sister in concern, they had all been confused when Ducky had woken up screaming in absolute terror, but Ruphus had quickly told them to go back to sleep. Ducky had then been the last up this morning, when usually she was the first up, the honour of being last up mostly went to Spike.

"It was a scary sleep story about... Judy." Answered Ducky in a saddened voice.

The others tensed up as they heard that name, a name they hadn't heard Ducky say in two Cold Times.

"J-Judy!" Stammered Ray, "As in Judy... the Swimmer you were... friends with?"

"Oh Ducky!" Said Diver in a saddened tone, "I'm so sorry. We all should've been there when Judy came begging for help, we could've done something, we could've-

"There was nothing anybody could do," explained Rapid in a comforting tone as she hugged Diver, "What were you thinking, that if we tried attacking Rolf, that it would've stopped that violent maniac. That wouldn't have worked, if we'd tried, we'd have all been thrown into a rock and maybe even killed."

"Rapid's right dear!" Agreed Sura, "We all did the best that we could've done, ... Nothing could've told us he would go that far."

The older Big Mouth bent down and gently nuzzled her children. Ducky, Spike and their other siblings then raced over to the pile of Tree Stars and Water Greens, and began eating.

"Hay!, what about that Swimmer you kinda befriended after Judy was murdered?" Asked Sandy, "You know Juno, Hollow and Bubbles. Have you ever told anybody about them?"

"No!" Answered Ducky, "Although I do feel guilty about not befriending her and pushing her and her siblings aside."

* * *

The next morning, Ducky was relaxing at her nest and had decided to spend the day with her Mom. She was lying back on the grass with her hands behind her back, when suddenly she spotted something approaching from afar and looked up.

"Oh my!" Exclaimed Ducky loudly, which made Sura walk up next to her.

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were entering the Nesting Area, Arial was flying just in front of them. The two elder Longnecks then stopped in front of Ducky and Sura, while Arial landed gently and gracefully on the ground.

"Oh!, hello Grandpa and Grandma Longneck, Ms Flyer," greeted Ducky politely, "What are you all doing here?"

"Well we actually came here to see you Ducky," answered Grandpa Longneck, "Littlefoot told us about what you told him and the others about... Judy."

"He-he did?" Asked Ducky in shock.

"Yes!" Answered Grandma Longneck, "I think your friends really wanted to make sure that we all knew and could understand what you've been through... And we're all very sorry for your loss."

"And you've got my condolences too!" nodded Arial solemnly, "And now that we all know, we can help you come to terms with this loss and move forward. And I'm sure Cera will eventually come round, it's an absolute shame we never got the chance to meet Judy, I think we would've liked her and I'm sure Petrie and your other friends would've loved her too!"

Littlefoot's Grandparents nodded in agreement. Ducky felt a lump in her throat, she could never have expected that from anyone and it made her feel warm inside.

Sura turned to look at her daughter, and saw tears building up in her eyes, with her lip trembling. Ducky thenburst out crying tears of joy. She then charged at Arial and wrapped her arms around the Flyer's waist in a big hug.

"Oh, thank y-you, thank you, thank you!" Exclaimed Ducky in a hysterically delighted voice, as she sobbed into Arial's chest, "You are all so very kind, you are!, you are!, Judy would be so, so p-proud and happy, she would!, she would!"

The older dinosaur's hearts all melted at this, Arial simply smiled and returned the hug. After a few minutes Ducky stopped crying and calmed down. The Young Swimmer let go of Petrie's mother's waist and walked back over to her mom.

"We'll be here if you ever need anything," said Grandpa Longneck, "I'm so glad we were able to make you feel better!"

The Two elderly Longnecks turned and left the area, followed by Arial flying up into the air and gliding after them.

Ducky did indeed feel much better, she felt that Judy had been given the proper send off that she had deserved for so long. However this hadn't really helped her pain, and she still felt as though Judy had died two weeks ago, instead of two cold times ago.

Sura bent down and gently nuzzled her.

"I think that was very nice, don't you dear?" Asked Sura in a gentle voice.

The young Swimmer simply nodded, and indicated to her mother that she wanted some time to herself. Sura smiled in understanding, and walked away.

* * *

Later that evening Topsy called a meeting for all residents of the Great Valley. Everyone turned up including the gang, Ducky, her family and Cera, who kept glancing at her friend nervously.

"Alright, attention everyone," ordered Topsy which instantly made the chatter die down, "I have called this meeting today or two very important reasons. Firstly, it's come to my and several other adults attention that Ducky revealed to her friends that she once had a friend before the Earthshake happened, this friend was called Judy and she was unfortunately murdered five days before the Great Earthshake... by her own father."

There was a loud collective of horrofied gasps from various residents. Some were too horrofied to speak, others looked appalled, while some, including Mr Thicknose looked at Ducky with sympathetic faces.

"And that's why I've come to the decision that child abuse of any kind will no longer be tolerated, accepted or allowed in this Valley," continued the Threehorn, "So if you discover that a parent or guardian is abusing a child, then I want you to report it to me, the Longnecks, Sura or Arial. Once we know this, we'll try and do what we can to protect the child and if needed get them away from their abuser."

Everyone cheered in delight at this idea. Ducky smiled, this change would truly benefit the Great Valley, now no child would have to suffer the way Judy had.

"And secondly, I'd like to announce that me and the other adults will be planning something to celebrate our long journey to the Great Valley and remember all those who perished along the way," declared Topsy, "It shall be called the Day Of Remembrance."

Everyone cheered at this. Ducky turned to her friends and simply beamed.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Said Littlefoot.

"It sure does Littlefoot." Remarked Ruby.

A few days after this, Ducky was sitting near the lake, when she suddenly noticed a familiar orange Threehorn approaching her from behind.

"Hay Ducky." Cera called out in a small voice, "Can I- can I talk to you?"

"Sure Cera, What is it?" Asked Ducky curiously.

The young Threehorn simply sighed, she had been putting off the inevitable talk with Ducky for the past few days, however she decided to finally get it over with after her dad found out she hadn't done it yet.

"Well... I guess I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about the way I acted after you told me about Judy," explained Cera in a genuinely apologetic voice, "I shouldn't have made myself think that dad would be anything like Rolf, and I know now that you never meant to say all those things about nobody understanding. So now I understand Ducky, and I'll always be there just like everyone else, I won't run ever again. So, do you forgive me?"

"Oh Cera of course I forgive you," answered Ducky in pure joy, "You are one of my best-est friends and I could never stay mad at you. Judy would never have wanted-ed that."

Ducky then ran up to Cera and hugged her by the frills. Cera smiling, returned the hug.

"Hay Ducky, you wanna come look at the stars with me and the others?" Asked Cera.

"Sure Thing, I will!, I will!" Answered Ducky.

The two then continued to hug.

* * *

Later that night, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Chomper and Ruby were sat on the top of a hill gazing at the star filled sky. Littlefoot imagined that he could see his mother, Cera imagined the stars taking on the form of her Mom and siblings, Petrie imagined his father, Chomper imagined the stars as his parents as did Ruby, who could also see her siblings.

Ducky could see the stars taking on the form of Judy and Nitha as well as, Juno, Hollow, Bubbles, Marina and Parsley who had also died.

"I will always remember you Judy, and you will be in my heart forever," thought Ducky, "Yep!, yep!, yep!"

* * *

 **(AN) well that's it for this two-shot. I hope you all enjoyed and remember to Read And Review.**

 **As you can see I threw in a few nods to the Forgotten Friend since this is a prequel after all. Also I had Cera apologise and get told off since I feel that she was in the wrong in A Swimmer's Sad Secret.**

 **Until Next Time this is TimeLordMaster108 Signing Out.**


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